Cruise holidays attract millions of passengers every year, and for some, life at sea becomes more than just a vacation. One couple who made that leap have shared what really happens when someone falls ill or gets injured while living onboard full-time.
Johan and Lanette Canen purchased their own cabin on a cruise ship and now document their everyday experience through their YouTube channel, Living Life on a Cruise.
In one of their recent videos, they addressed a question they say comes up more than almost any other: what medical help is available if a passenger becomes sick or hurt at sea?
Since emergency vehicles obviously cannot reach a ship in the same way they can on land, cruise liners are equipped with their own treatment areas and medical staff. That also raises another question many people have — what happens when someone dials 911 onboard?
Lanette Canen explained:
“When we dial 911 from one of the ship’s phones, it goes directly to the bridge as an onboard emergency call.
“The bridge then coordinates the response and contacts the medical team or sends the appropriate crew members depending on the emergency.”
In the video, the pair also gave viewers a look inside the ship’s medical centre. The facility included a medicine storage area, a nurses office, a first aid triage room, and a ward/emergency room that closely resembled a hospital setting.
The ship’s doctor pointed out that the centre is equipped with a monitor defibrillator that can also function as a pacemaker.
A ventilator is available as well for patients in more serious condition.
Dr. Pradeep said that if someone needs treatment from a ‘center of excellence’ or requires ‘higher care,’ the medical staff can first stabilize the patient onboard before updating the captain.
“If we can send the patient by boat, or by chopper, we can decide on that,” Dr. Pradeep told the couple. “We are fully equipped here and we have everything,” he told them, as he pointed to the X-Ray machine they also have onboard the ship.
According to the doctor, the onboard team is able to manage most medical cases itself, which helps reassure passengers. Still, there are situations where someone may need more advanced treatment elsewhere. Research from the CDC indicates that approximately 95% of acute illnesses or injuries are treated or managed onboard, with the remainder requiring evacuation and shoreside consultation.
On Johan and Lanette’s ship, Dr. Pradeep said upper respiratory illnesses are among the issues seen most often.
That includes ‘colds and coughs,’ which can spread quickly when thousands of people are sharing the same spaces in close quarters.
“If it is a hot humid area we’re traveling in, we get these cases more frequently,” he explained.
Another condition that often comes up on cruise ships is norovirus, an illness well known for causing outbreaks in shared environments. Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships have surged in recent years. The CDC reported 16 gastrointestinal cruise outbreaks in 2024, the highest number in over a decade, while 2023 saw 14 reported outbreaks. Through September 2025, the CDC has already documented 19 gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, with 14 of those caused by norovirus, surpassing the previous year’s total.
Cleveland Clinic describes norovirus as a ‘common and very contagious virus’ that leads to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, with symptoms similar to stomach flu.
The virus can spread through close contact, contaminated food, or infected surfaces, and it tends to be seen most often during winter.
Infectious disease physician Jose Lucar, M.D. told AARP that cruise ships are ‘the perfect scenario for transmission of highly contagious GI [gastrointestinal] pathogens,’ with things such as ‘populated pools’ and ‘busy buffet lines’.
Cruise ship medical staffing meets strict industry standards. Most modern cruise ships carry 1-2 licensed physicians and 2-3 registered nurses depending on ship size, with all staff certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support and trained in emergency medicine. The facilities are required to meet or exceed standards established by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). For serious cases requiring higher-level care, medical evacuations can be arranged through helicopter transport, Coast Guard assistance, or by diverting the ship to the nearest port. The average cost of a medical evacuation within North America is just over $25,000, though international transport can be significantly higher.